new ford owner looking for help

[rangerkumlien]

hey everyone, my name is aaron. i just bought a 88 ford ranger thats pretty cool. i bought it from a guy in chicago and i live in Milwaukee so i drove it from there to here.it runs good but was very hard to keep speed over 50. once its into the 3rd and 4th gears it losses speed to the point were i have to give it the throttle to drop gears and pick up speed again. after i got it home i drove it for two days and on the second day i was driving on the freeway and all of the sudden had a loss of power. i got it home and the next day(this happened at night) toke a look to see what i could see and noticed that the two hoses on the intake bow were off so i put them back on. i drove it around the block and it blows white smoke from the exhaust and has got some bogging. my thoughts were maybe a head gasket issue of maybe piston ring or something. i checked the oil and its keeping its color so i dont think water is mixing in with it. I was planning on starting with a compression test first and then go from there but it would be helpful it anyone had an idea of what i might be dealing with. I've done some work with cars and trucks like head gasket and thermostat but not too much and i plan on trying to fix the problem myself. the truck has a new gas tank and filter and some other new parts but i dont think the guy i bought it from got into the engine at all. i'd really like to get the truck back on the road but i've been working between 50 and 60 hours a week so its rough finding time to work on it. unfortunately i cant clam all the extras on the like the body and suspension lift and the 33's it got for tires and its also got a roll bar with lights and front grill guard with lights but im still proud to be a ford owner. seems like its gonna be a fun truck when i get it going again. i used to have a gmc sonoma zr2 that was always looking for the next dirt trail and then had a toyota pickup that was ok and now the ranger. im looking forward to taking this truck up north were most of my off-road driving is done but id like so be able to not have to fight the truck with keeping speed the whole way. looking forward to hearing from everyone on this issue. Thanks, aaron

 

[abrush]

I would do a compression test first off. It sounds like a cracked head gasket or head to me. A compression test will tell you a lot.

 

[IMenriched]

Agreed...compression check will help you.

also, check your ignition module,(aka, TFI). Most parts stores can check them for you, just have them run checks several times. there is heat assocated problems with them.

if some vuccum lines were off, blown or just not returned ...it maybe just a build up that has happened and will clear up, once vacuum leaks have been corrected.

In the mean time, replace the PVC valve and make sure all ports in the upper intake are open that vacuum lines go into.

check out the tech library here LOTS of great info!

 

[grnrngr]

White smoke that dissipates quickly, generally means the leak is between the water jacket and the compression chamber, the water boils off and goes out the exhaust as steam, some of the exhaust gasses probably get pumped into the cooling system as well. Pull the radiator cap off and see if there's an exhaust smell to it, or, while running with a full radiator and cap off, see if your getting some bubbling as the exhaust gasses come up. My Celica actually looked like a geyser when I pulled off the cap while it was running, not because it was hot (it wasn't), but from the compression being redirected into the cooling system. Not as messy to work with as when the oil gets into the water, but definitely a bad sign..also, while your looking over your vacuum lines, make sure they're not brittle and cracking.